I wasn't around here in 2000 but you can count me among those who recognized something special about the President during the 2000 campaign. I went to a campaign event as a naysayer, I left that event as a believer, telling everyone I knew that he was a sleeping giant. Little did I know what events would transpire.
I think that day in the rubble was when critics were forcibly silenced. The rest of the country accepted his victory was close..but genuine. 9-11 shut them up. Probably helped drive them mad, keeping that bile (mostly) in check even for short term.
I knew G.W. was going to be the candidate when he became Governor of Texas. Something special about him his father and no other candidate proposed seemed to have. After eight years of Clinton there was no doubt in my mind I'd never support Al Gore. G.W. was a man of character, that I knew. A Man of Faith.
Funny thing about all this talk of Values. IMO, 2000 truly defined the power of values as an issue. While it was a dominant concern in 2004, the WOT was the key issue this election. 2000 was a backlash against Clinton's character (or lack thereof).